Three-Dimensional Printed Ventilators: A Rapid Solution to Coronavirus Disease 2019–Induced Supply-Chain Shortages

Nacharaju, Deepthi; Menzel, Whitney; Fontaine, Evan; Child, Dennis; El Haddi, S. James; Nonas, Stephanie; Chi, Albert

OBJECTIVE: To examine rapidly emerging ventilator technologies during coronavirus disease 2019 and highlight the role of CRISIS, a novel 3D printed solution. DATA SOURCES: Published articles, literature, and government guidelines that describe and review emergency use ventilator technologies. STUDY SELECTION: Literature was chosen from peer-reviewed journals and articles were limited to recent publications. DATA EXTRACTION: All information regarding ventilator technology was extracted from primary sources. DATA SYNTHESIS: Analysis of technology and relevance to coronavirus disease 2019 physiology was collectively synthesized by all authors. CONCLUSIONS: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has placed massive stress on global supply chains for ventilators due to the critical damage the virus causes to lung function. There is an urgent need to increase supply, as hospitals become inundated with patients requiring intensive respiratory support. Coalitions across the United States have formed in order to create new devices that can be manufactured quickly, with minimal resources, and provide consistent and safe respiratory support. Due to threats to public health and the vulnerability of the U.S. population, the Food and Drug Administration released Emergency Use Authorizations for new or repurposed devices, shortening the approval timeline from years to weeks. The list of authorized devices varies widely in complexity, from automated bagging techniques to repurposed sleep apnea machines. Three-dimensional printed ventilators, such as “CRISIS,” propose a potential solution to increase the available number of vents for the United States and abroad, one that is dynamic and able to absorb the massive influx of hospitalized patients for the foreseeable future.